Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 8 x 40 mm still P-3?
Just. The particle area is 320 mm2 and DIN 66399 sets 320 mm2 as the maximum for class P-3, so the 929 IS sits precisely on the boundary with no margin. It is a legitimate P-3 rating. If your auditors want visible headroom rather than an exact match, the 919 IS cuts at 5 x 40 mm - 200 mm2 - in the same class. Neither is anywhere near P-4, which requires 160 mm2 or less.
Does 500 sheets per pass mean 500 sheets at a time on the belt?
It means the cutting head is rated to accept a 500-sheet stack in one pass. In practice you load the conveyor and let it feed, rather than counting sheets. Dahle publishes this as a single figure without stating the paper weight, unlike the 909 HS and 919 IS which are quoted at #20 and #16 bond, so treat 500 as the headline rating and expect real-world throughput to depend on what else is in the stack.
How loud is it?
70 dB - the loudest machine in the PowerTEC range and 10 dB above the 909 HS. In a working destruction room, hearing protection is a reasonable precaution for an operator spending a full shift alongside it, and it should not share a space with desks. Bear in mind that a rated figure describes steady running; binders and fasteners entering the head are noisier than that number suggests.
What does installation actually involve?
A 220 V three-phase supply installed in advance, a delivery route that will take a 78.75-inch, 3,175 lb machine, dock or heavy liftgate access, and a floor rated for the load. Dahle does not publish the circuit amperage, so the dealer and your electrician need to agree the supply specification at quotation stage. Allow for staging space in front of the conveyor as well - a machine this fast needs material queued to be worth running.
How often does the 120-gallon container fill?
Faster than the number implies. At 500 sheets a pass and 33 ft/min, sustained feeding will fill 120 gallons in well under an hour. Realistic operation means a second container ready to swap in, or a downstream handling arrangement. If your plan is one container emptied at end of shift, you have underestimated what this machine produces.
Can it take binders, staples and clips?
Yes. Dahle lists stacks of paper, binders, optical media, credit cards, staples and paper clips for the 929 IS. That tolerance is central to its value: at this throughput, any material preparation step becomes the bottleneck. Automatic jam protection cycles the head forward and reverse if something does stall it.
Is it NSA approved?
No. NSA/CSS 02-01 requires a 1 mm by 5 mm particle and a listing on the NSA Evaluated Products List. The 929 IS cuts at 8 x 40 mm and is not on that list. Among the Dahle machines here, only the 707 PS, 727 CS and 747 CS appear on the current NSA paper shredder EPL. The 929 IS is a volume machine for commercially confidential material.